The Road to Oz

This is my second favorite of the Oz series, right after Ozma of Oz. I love the new characters, the Shaggy Man and Polly especially. I really like that, while there are some challenges in the book, the main goal is a happy one. They're not on the run from anyone, they're all on their way to Ozma's birthday party, where they meet the greatest assortment of colorful individuals. Unlike some of the other books in the series, this one really stays true to the spirit of Oz, with unique but awesome characters like Johnny Dooit and Baum's version of Santa Claus, who is of course close friends with Ozma :) I suppose the only complaint I have is that the chapter titles give away way too much of what's going to happen, but that's the same in all of the Oz books. Again, loved seeing the reunions between many of the characters, even though they have been reuinted in the series already, it's always awesome seeing the original cast of Oz characters together and having fun.

If you read the thinking of serious Oz-types, you will hear that this is widely considered one of the weakest Oz books. I do see the point. There is not much of a plot. The plot is really only this: Dorothy gets lost, meets curious characters along the way, ends up in Oz after a series of fun and/or strange adventures. That's it. That's really all there is to it. All the same, as a child it was my favorite book in the Oz series, and it still keeps a lot of its luster now when I reread it as an adult. I really enjoy Button-Bright and the Shaggy Man as counterpoints to Dorothy. I'm always happy to see Polychrome. The odd characters that they meet along the way are among the best. I used to have nightmares about the Scoodlers, and Johnny Dooit has stayed firmly in memory-- both as a memory and a role model. And Ozma's birthday party! Well, that made quite an impression on me. Particularly the chapter on "Important Arrivals" stayed in my mind (and eventually it sent me scrambling for other books by Baum that featured these lesser-known characters.) In short, this may not be the strongest book in the series, but I have always found it one of the most enjoyable entries. Read it yourself and judge!

Read this book it is the best! I read like two chapters a night I liked it so much. It is full of adventures. It is very cool! Anyone should read it. The book is axesome! So READ IT!!!

As noted by some other reviewers Road to Oz doesn't conform to the usual requirements of a fairy tale such as a quest or continual action adventure. However, I believe Baum was aiming at something different here, namely, evoking the wonder, anticipation and shared excitement that young children feel at a birthday party (the point of the book is the celebration of Ozma's birthday). The first edition of the book was even printed with paper of different colors like the colored paper used for decorations. In these terms, Road to Oz is perhaps one of the best written of the Oz series with very few false notes or awkward characters. The characters of Button Bright, Polychrome, the Shaggy Man and Johnny DoIt are particularly good. Actually there is a quite a bit of action and adventure before Dorothy and her companions arrive in Oz. The transformations of Button-Bright and the Shaggy Man into fox and donkey respectively, while straight out of Classical myth, have an unusual twist: their motivation stems not from malice or the Gods' sport, but rather from the transformer's inability of seeing more than one standard of beauty. Once in Oz, Baum handles the pageantry and socializing in deft fashion for a children's story. In short, an essential part of the Oz series.

This was actually the very first oz book that I read, and maybe part of the reason why I like it so much. In it we meet the shaggyman, on his quest to go to oz. We also meet up with Dorothy again, and her little dog too. Although it may not be the most imaginitive in the series (that would be Rinkitink of Oz, or Tiktok of Oz in my opinion), it is still a very pleasant addition to any bookshelf.